What is corn sweat? How Midwest agricultural products can contribute to area heat waves

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago broke its record-high temperature Tuesday, as a heat wave continues to bear down on the Midwest. The region's agricultural products can make it feel even steamier.

Mika Tosca, associate professor and climate scientist at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, previously told ABC7 Chicago that the Midwest's large amounts of corn and soy produce a lot of humidity.

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"I do think you have a real recipe for some very oppressive, dangerously hot and humid summers in our future unfortunately," Tosca said.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign said corn sweat makes humid Midwestern summers feel even hotter.

One acre of corn can add between 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water a day to the atmosphere, the school said.

When temperatures are high, plants open pores on their leaves, bringing in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide and excess water. The water evaporates, cooling the plants, according to U of I.

Corn growth peaks around the same time summer temperatures do, intensifying the effect, the school said.